A hyperbaric chamber

Abstract

The hyperbaric chamber 1 has six planar prefabricated panels 2-7 forming a rectangular cuboid. The panels may be preformed in a factory for assembly on site and may be flat and rectangular for transport into existing buildings. The panels may be sized to pass through standard doorways found in health care facilities. Each panel may be a composite of two carbon fibre layers sandwiching a core layer. The core layer may have greater bending stiffness than the carbon fibre layers and may have a layer of polyethylene terephthalate or foam. Each panel may have a peripheral flange 11 at a 45 degree angle to the panel that may have holes 12 for fastenings 13. Each panel may have carbon fibre piles, the number of which increases at or towards the flange from a central area. A metal corner triplet plate may reinforce the flanges at corners. The panels may be square and form a cube.

Description

The present invention relates to a hyperbaric chamber, particularly of the type used by the healthcare industry to treat a variety of medical conditions, including decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning and some types of infections. At present, hyperbaric chambers used by the healthcare industry are normally of a traditional type, being cylindrical in nature with domed ends, the typical configuration of a chamber for retaining any liquid under pressure. Where it is desired that the hyperbaric chamber be large enough to accommodate more than a single person, or to accommodate a person in a space resembling a small room, then the cylindrical nature of the hyperbaric chamber often dictates that it has be housed in a special building or at least a building which has access designed specifically to permit the installation of a hyperbaric chamber. Alternatively, if it is required to install such a hyperbaric chamber in a normal building having normal doorways, then the chamber will need to be relatively small, with a person lying down lengthways in the cylindrical chamber. As the chamber is necessarily sealed this can very claustrophobic, particularly as a person will be required to spend a significant period of time in the hyperbaric chamber and this can preclude the treatment of some patients. It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative type of hyperbaric chamber. According to the present invention there is provided a hyperbaric chamber comprising six substantially planar prefabricated panels forming a rectangular cuboid. The six prefabricated panels of a hyperbaric chamber in accordance with the present invention can be prefabricated in a factory (and optionally assembled, tested and disassembled) prior to being dispatched to a premises to which they are going to be installed. The form of the panels, being flat and rectangular, makes them relatively easy to transport and be installed in existing buildings, not specifically designed to accommodate a hyperbaric chamber. For example, the panels may be sized as to permit them to be pass through a the type of doorways likely to be found in a modem health care facility, prior to the panels being assembled. This permits the use of hyperbaric chambers to be adopted by practices and institutions which previously would not have considered it practicable to install a hyperbaric chamber. Preferably, each panel comprises a carbon fibre layer, because such a layer may have sufficient strength to resist tensile forces experienced by the panel when the hyperbaric chamber is pressurised, for a given mass of material which may enable the panel to be manually installed without the use of special lifting equipment. More preferably, each panel may comprise a composite structure comprising two carbon fibre layers sandwiching a core layer. A composite structure with the carbon fibre layers spaced apart by the core will greatly increase the stiffness of the panel, for any bending of the panel will act to place one carbon fibre layer in tension and the other in compression. Preferably, the core layer has a greater bending stiffness than the carbon fibre layers in isolation and thus the core layer itself will greatly increase the stiffness of the panel. The core layer may comprise a layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or alternatively the core layer may comprise a foam layer which may also have a stiffness greater than that of the carbon fibre layers. Preferably, the core layer has a thickness of between 10 to 25 mm. The or each carbon fibre layer may preferably have a thickness of between 8 and 13 mm. Each panel preferably has a peripheral flange extending outwardly from the panel at an angle of approximately 45°. This permits the flanges of adjacent panels to be abutted together. Preferably each flange comprises an array of holes in register with those of an adjacent flange of an adjacent panel, the prefabricated hyperbaric chamber further comprising a plurality of fastenings each extending through a respective pair of holes and clamping adjacent flanges together. This permits the adjacent flanges of adjacent panels to be fastened together along the lengths of their edges to form the hyperbaric chamber and ensures that the joins between adjacent panels remain sealed as the pressure within the hyperbaric chamber increases. Preferably, each panel has a main central area bordered by the peripheral flange, wherein the main central area comprises a carbon fibre layer having a first number of carbon fibre plies, which number of plies increases at or towards the peripheral flange to a second number of plies greater than the first and wherein the carbon fibre layer in the region of the peripheral flange also has a second number of carbon fibre plies, greater than the first number, to reinforce the peripheral flange and the peripheral region of the central area adjoining the peripheral flange. This permits the edges of each panel to be strengthened to resist damage by prying forces created by the outward displacement of a central region of the panels (on slight ballooning of the hyperbaric chamber) as the pressure within the chamber increases, whilst minimising the volume of material present in the central area of the panels away from the flanges, thus significantly reducing the weight and cost of the panels relative to panels formed with a uniform number of plies across their entirety. In addition, or as an alternative to the reinforced peripheral flanges, the hyperbaric chamber may further comprise a metal corner triplet plate located at each comer to reinforce the flanges at the corners of the hyperbaric chamber. Each metal corner triplet plate will extend from a corner outwards along three orthogonal axes following the joins between adjacent ones of the three panels forming each corner of the hyperbaric chamber and this may act to strengthen each comer. Preferably, the six panels are each square and of the same size with the hyperbaric chamber being a cube. This permits a single mould to be used to mould all six panels and, for a rectangular cuboid, maximises the volume and strength of the hyperbaric chamber for any given total area of panels. More preferably, five of the six panels are substantially the same and thus may be interchangeable, significantly reducing both manufacturing costs and complexity of assembly, with the sixth panel having a door. However, it will be appreciated that some of the said five panels may differ slightly, for example features may be incorporated into one panel to permit control apparatus to be installed into the hyperbaric chamber or one panel may have modifications to permit it to accommodate a floor or to be mounted on a peripheral frame to permit that panel to be used as a base panel to be mounted on a peripheral frame, or similar, to permit outward expansion of the panel in a central region when the hyperbaric chamber is pressurised. The door of the hyperbaric chamber preferably has substantially the same bending stiffness as the area of the panel in which it is located, permitting the door to deform with the panel, preventing unnecessary forces being exerted on the panel by the door. Advantageously, the weight of each panel is between 70 and 80Kgs, permitting each panel to be installed manually by four people. Where a panel is a composite panel, this is preferably formed by being moulded, which moulding process may both form the carbon fibre layers from carbon fibre plies (with each carbon fibre layer preferably comprising a woven carbon fibre epoxy) and join the layers of the composite structure. Preferably, the hyperbaric chamber is greater than 1.8 m heigh and more preferably each panel is square and less than 2.2 m across, permitting the panel to pass through most doorways found in a modern healthcare environment. The hyperbaric chamber is preferably rated at 1.5 bar or more. One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of five assembled panels of a hyperbaric chamber in accordance with the present invention, with a sixth panel shown prior to assembly; Figure 2 is a perspective expanded view of one of the panels of the hyperbaric chamber of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows how a metal corner triplet plate may be used to reinforce a corner of the hyperbaric chamber of Figure 1; and Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a corner of a hyperbaric chamber in accordance with the present invention having panels where the number of plies of carbon fibre layers has been increased towards and in the region of the flanges. Referring now to Figure 1, a hyperbaric chamber in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally as 1. This comprises five panels 2 to 6 shown assembled. The five panels 2 to 6 are identical, except in that panel 3 has four pass through ports 25, to permit oxygen or air to pass into and out of the chamber 1 and for any other connections required to the inside of the chamber, such as for example power, audio (speech or music) or a video link. Although four pass through ports 25 are shown, any number may be included, typically between four and six. The cube of the chamber 1 is completed by a sixth panel 7, shown in Figure 1 as waiting for assembly. The sixth panel 7 differs from the remaining panels in that it comprises a door opening 8 and a door 9 for sealing in the opening 8. Each of the panels 3 to 7 has a planar portion 10 bordered by a peripheral flange 11, which flange 11 is angled outwardly at an angle of 45° relative to the planar wall 10. Each peripheral flange 11 has a linear array of holes 12 formed along it, which holes are all in register with those of an adjacent flange of an adjacent panel, permitting fastenings 13 to be passed therethrough to secure the panels 3 to 8 together in the form of a cube. This permits each panel to prefabricated in a factory, transported to site and then assemble on site by aligning appropriate ones of the panels 3 to 8 and securing them with fastenings 13, after first applying a liquid gasket between the mating surfaces of the peripheral flanges 11, in order to prevent leaks from the hyperbaric chamber 1. Referring now to Figure 2, this shows an expanded view of one of the panels 3. The panel 3 is a composite structure comprising an inner carbon fibre layer 14, an outer carbon fibre layer 15 and an intermediate layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which may be recycled PET The panel is formed by laying a number of woven carbon fibre epoxy plies in an appropriately shaped mould to subsequently form the inner carbon fibre layer 14. Laying over this the PET intermediate layer and then laying further plies to form the outer carbon fibre layer 15, before pressing these in a mould prior to curing the panel in an oven. The composite panel 3 can then be secured to adjacent panels by the fastenings 13. Referring now to Figure 3, this shows, in vertical section, a peripheral flange 11 of each of the panels 3 and 6 forming a join immediately adjacent to a corner of the hyperbaric chamber 1, with the corner being reinforced by the addition of a metal triplet plate 17 and profiled metal fastener plates 18 and 19. The triplet plate 17 only extends a short distance along each of the three joins between each of the three pairs of adjacent peripheral flanges 11 forming each corner. In contrast, the profiled fastener plates 18 and 19 extend along the length of their respective peripheral flanges. The profiled fasteners plates 18 and 19 act to spread the load exerted by the fasteners on the panels 3 and 6 and act to both prevent the fasteners 13 pulling through the peripheral flanges 11 of respective panels 3 and 6 and also act to prevent distortion of at the radiuses 20 between the planar wall portions and the peripheral flanges 11 of respective panels 3 and 6. This reduces prying, which might otherwise occur on pressurisation of the hyperbaric chamber 1, causing the panels 3 to 7 to ballon slightly outwards, with the subsequent prying acting to force apart the inner edge of the flanges 11 in the region of the radiuses 20 (see Figure 6 3) outward. The triplet plate 17 in the corner also acts to stiffen the corners of the hyperbaric chamber 1. Alternatively, or in addition to the use of the triplet plates 17 and profiled fastener plates18 and 19 of Figure 3, the number of plies in the carbon fiber layers may also be increased towards and in the region of the peripheral flanges 11. Figure 4 shows an embodiment where a panel 6a has an increased number of plies in a peripheral region 21 adjacent the flange 11 and in the region 22 of the flange 11. Similarly, the panel 3a has additional plies in a peripheral region 23 towards the flange 11 and in region 24 forming the flange 11. These additional plies are interleaved with the plies of the rest of the panel. For example each carbon fibre layer of the panel may comprise four plies across the entirety of the panel (thus with the two carbon fibre layers eight plies across the entirety of the panel) with each carbon fibre layer having four additional plies interleaved in the regions 21 and 22, so that in the regions 21 and 22 of Figure 4 the panel 6a will in total comprise thirty two plies, sixteen per carbon fibre layer. This greatly increases the stiffness of these regions and provides the same advantages as discussed above with reference to Figure 3. Figures 3 and 4 give examples of how it may be possible to provide reinforced peripheral flanges, but many alternative examples may be apparent to the skilled person. Similarly, alternative compositions for the intermediate layer will also be apparent to the skilled person, for example this could comprise expanded foams or a metal sheet such as aluminium or strips of aluminium between the carbon fibre layers. These are non-exhaustive and are illustrative examples only and many other modifications may be apparent to the skilled person which may fall within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A hyperbaric chamber comprising six substantially planar prefabricated panels forming a rectangular cuboid.

2. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each panel comprises a carbon fibre layer.

3. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each panel comprises a composite structure comprising two carbon fibre layers sandwiching a core layer.

4. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the core layer has a greater bending stiffness than the carbon fibre layers.

5. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, wherein the core layer comprises a layer of polyethylene terephthalate - PET.

6. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, wherein the core layer comprises a layer of foam.

7. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 6, wherein thecore layer has a thickness of between 10 to 25 mm.

8. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 7, wherein each carbon fibre layer has a thickness of between 8 and 13 mm.

9. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each panel has a peripheral flange extending outwardly from the panel at an angle of approximately 45°.

10. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 9, wherein each flange comprises an array of holes in register with those of an adjacent flange of an adjacent panel,the prefabricated hyperbaric chamber further comprising a plurality of fastenings each extending through a respective pair of holes and clamping adjacent flanges together.

11. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 9 or 10, wherein each panel has a main central area bordered by the peripheral flange wherein the main central area comprises a carbon fibre layer having a first number of carbon fibre plies which number of plies increases at or towards the peripheral flange to a second number of plies and wherein the carbon fibre layer in the region of the peripheral flange also has a second number of carbon fibre plies, greater than the first number, to reinforce the peripheral flange and the peripheral region of the central area adjoining the peripheral flange.

12. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in any one of Claim 9 to 11, further comprising a metal corner triplet plate located at each corner to reinforce the flanges at the corners of the hyperbaric chamber.

13. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the six panels are each square and of the same size and wherein the hyperbaric chamber is a cube.

14. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 13, wherein five panels are substantially identical, with a sixth panel having a door.

15. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the door has substantially the same bending stiffness as the area of the panel in which it is located.

16. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in Claim 14 or 15, wherein each of the said five panels weighs between 70 and 90 Kg.

17. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each panel is a composite panel and is formed by being moulded.

18. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each 5 carbon fibre layer comprises a woven carbon fibre epoxy.

19. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hyperbaric chamber is greater than 1.8 m high.10 20. A hyperbaric chamber as claimed in any preceding claim rated at 1.5 barpositive pressure or greater.11

Images